The Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Association has selected Jim Key and Tamara Payne-Alex as candidates to run for moderator of the association. The moderator election will take place at the 2013 General Assembly in Louisville, Ky.

The board made the announcement January 20, during its board meeting in New Orleans.

The term of current Moderator Gini Courter will end in June 2013, when the General Assembly will elect a new moderator. The moderator, the UUA’s highest volunteer position, presides at General Assemblies and at meetings of the Board of Trustees; the role is defined in the UUA bylaws as “chief governance officer.” The Moderator Nominating Committee (MNC), which had solicited applications for the position, received seven applications for the role by its October 15 deadline.
In a statement, the board said that both nominees have extensive leadership experience professionally and as Unitarian Universalists.

Jim Key, from Beaufort, S.C., has served as president of the Southeast District and currently chairs the UUA Audit Committee. He is a member of the UU Fellowship of Beaufort.

Tamara Payne-Alex, from San Jose, Calif., is a former member of the UUA Board of Trustees and the Ministerial Fellowship Committee. She is a member of the First Unitarian Church of San Jose.

It is possible there could be additional candidates in the moderator race, if anyone chooses to run by petition. Individuals can petition to have their names placed in nomination for moderator after March 1, 2012.

Delegates at the 2010 GA amended the bylaws of the UUA to create the nomination process for moderator. The board also created rules for the process, and named a Moderator Nominating Committee in May to interview and recommend candidates. In its statement, the board said it “appreciates the work of the Moderator Nominating Committee and the very dedicated Unitarian Universalists who offered their candidacy and have helped make this new process work.”